This application is based on Patent Applications Nos.10-036464, 10-03-6465 and 10-036466 filed in Japan, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
This invention relates to an image retrieval system which is applied to an image photographing apparatus such as a digital camera, and especially relates to an art for retrieving and looking through images. Further, the invention relates to a device for displaying plural image files which are recorded into an image recording medium by the image photographing apparatus such as the digital camera, and also relates to a method thereof.
Hitherto, there has been known an image database in which data of images photographed by the apparatus such as a digital camera are recorded in an image-recording medium, and a retrieval system thereof. The image database of this kind, which relates key information (code information) to image data of image files, is generally aimed at finding a target image by inputting key information in a retrieval operation performed by a retrieval system. On the other hand, there has also been known a system having a function for retrieving and looking through (named as xe2x80x9cbrowsingxe2x80x9d) the target image by sequentially displaying the images recorded in the image database onto the display device. The system of this kind is aimed at finding the target image owing to a visual judgment of an operator by displaying the images at every frame in addition to the retrieval based on key information.
In the above-mentioned former system, it is impossible to find the target object through the retrieval operation without operations of constructing and inputting key information. However, these operations require considerable effort. Especially, as to the image data in the digital camera, it needs to input key information in a photographing operation (because these may be forgotten unless inputted immediately), but this operation is generally troublesome, and besides users may let the shutter chance slip away while inputting the key information.
In the above-mentioned latter system, the system practically and exactly finds the target image in the browsing operation for several dozens of image data. However, as to increased numbers of images, the system takes great time to browse, which is inefficient and unpractical. Especially in the digital camera which eliminates the need for processing of developing, printing, and enlarging, users usually take greater numbers of photographs compared in the case of a camera using a film, so that number of image data tends to increase. As mentioned above, in order to exactly retrieve an image with eliminating the trouble of assigning the key information, there is demanded a method of browsing the images thereby finding the desired image. However, several times of browsing operation for the great amount of data take much expense in time and effort.
The present invention is made to dissolve the problems as noted above. One object of the present invention is to provide an image retrieval system which allows an image to be found based on history data concerning an operation for image files recorded in an image recording medium by an apparatus such as a digital camera, thereby making it possible to efficiently and accurately find the desired image without a trouble of assigning key information for an image file.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image retrieval system which allows an image to be found based on a combination of photographic condition in a photographing operation and history data concerning an operation for image file, thereby allowing an efficient and accurate image retrieval.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for displaying images wherein, in view of a high probability that an image accessed even once after photographed is also accessed hereafter, the device records each operation for each image as history data, and finds a desired image based on the history data for the image, thereby realizing an easy and convenient image retrieval.
In order to attain the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, an image retrieval system which retrieves a plurality of images recorded in a recording medium, comprises: an indicator which commands a processing to be executed for the image; a setter which sets up history data for retrieving said image in accordance with the processing commanded by the indicator; and, a retrieval device which retrieves the image based on said history data.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for retrieving an image which is recorded in a recording medium, comprises following steps: a step for commanding a processing to be executed for the image; a step for setting history data to retrieve said image in accordance with the processing command; and, a step for retrieving the image based on said history data.
According to further aspect of the present invention, an image photographing apparatus comprises: an image sensor; a recording medium which records images photographed by the image sensor; a reproducer which reproduces images recorded in the recording medium; a timer which counts a time for displaying the image; and, a recorder which records data based on said time for displaying the image, into the recording medium so as to make a correspondence between the data and the image.